Take my Hand
by Tonkswyrda
Summary: <html><head></head>"I love you, Nymphadora. I'll always love you, even when I'm dead and cold, even when I've turned to dust in the ground... Please. Please stay here." The Final Battle has arrived, and Tonks doesnt want to be left behind.</html>


Everything was quiet.

In the small cottage nestled in the quiet countryside just outside of Cardiff, Nymphadora Tonks was wide awake, listening to the silence. Remus lay beside her, fast asleep; and at the end of their bed was Teddy's cot; he too wasn't making a sound.

She missed quiet. Just being able to sit with Remus, saying nothing, just being with each other. They had hardly had a quiet moment since Teddy was born.

She had definitely had zero time for herself, that was for sure.

Smiling in the dark she pulled the sheets back, curing her toes as her feel hit the cold wooden floor. With a backwards glance to check she hadn't woken her husband, she crept silently downstairs, opening the cupboard in the kitchen and rifling through, looking for the hot chocolate.

Her head was still in the cupboard when she heard the phone ring from the bedroom.

That in itself wasn't unusual- it was probably Kingsley wanting to get it touch about something for Potterwatch. He did ring at the most ridiculous hours sometimes.

So she thought nothing of it and continued making her drink. But when she reached the stairs, she found Remus already coming down, pulling on his tweed jacket and pocketing his wand.

"Where are you going?" She asked, confused, putting her cup aside.

He didn't answer, just shook his head, brushing past her. "Stay here."

She grabbed his arm. "But where are you going? Remus, tell me!"

He stopped walking, looking back at her. His face was determined- and sad.

"Remus…please." She whispered.

He sighed, looking at his shoes.

"I… the board is set, the die is cast. It's all happening tonight. I have to go help."

"You mean… this is it? What we've been waiting for?" her hand slipped from his arm as he nodded.

"Give me two minutes to get changed."

She spun on her hells, but Remus took her by the shoulders before she could leave.

"No! What about Teddy?"

"We'll drop him at my mother's-"

"No, Dora. You cant come! You have to stay with him-"

She turned back around. "What, me stay home while you're out there? I'm the qualified Auror, if anyone's going it should be me!"

"But you're a mother!"

"And you're a father!" she yelled back. "You can't expect me to sit here waiting for you."

There was silence for a moment, and when Remus spoke again, he was much quieter.

"I'm not expecting you to wait."

"What?" Tonks was confused, but everything clicked into place when she saw the hollow look in his eyes. "You mean… you wont… you're not going then! Please don't go-"

"I have to."

Shaking her head, Tonks pulled him to her, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. He held her tightly, and she could feel him shaking.

"But… you don't think you're coming back?"

She felt him shake his head. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

She couldn't believe he was doing this. Teddy, barely a few months old, and what about her? She couldn't do this without him.

"Don't I get a say in this?"

He pulled back. "No." he looked her in the eyes. "Teddy needs you. You have to stay for him."

"But he needs you too! And so do I."

"The world can afford to lose an old werewolf like me. But you- you still have so much to offer. You've hardly lived, Dora. I've had my time."

"I've hardly lived with you." She whispered.

He sighed. "I love you, Nymphadora. I'll always love you, even when I'm dead and cold, even when I've turned to dust in the ground. I love you with every fibre in me, and if you- if you love me like that, then you'll do what I ask. My last request. Please. Please stay here."

"I don't want to." She sighed, wiping a tear from her face. "But..."

"You will?"

Looking away, and hardly believing she was doing it, she nodded.

"Thank you." He pulled her into a firm hug, kissing her forehead. Moving back slightly, she pulled his lips urgently to hers.

This could be the last time she kissed him. This could be the last time she saw him alive. She had to break them apart, burying her face in him, taking in his smell, his warmth, while sobs starting raking her body.

When she looked up, he was crying too

"I- I love you." She choked, as he prised her hands open, pulling himself out her grip, which had been a lot tighter than she'd thought.

"I know. And I love you too. But... I have to go now. If I don't- when he's older-" he stopped, taking a deep breath. "Tell him I was trying to make the world a better place for him to live in." He kissed her swiftly on the side of her mouth, before turning and walking out of the door.

Just like that he was gone.

Dragging herself upstairs, Tonks wiped the tears away. Crying wouldn't help anything. Looking at Teddy sleep, she didn't understand how Remus could leave them. They were just getting started. And their son- he was so perfect. How could he leave all that?

It only took her five minutes of pacing to realise she couldn't stay, she just couldn't. He needed her help. Harry needed her help.

And she couldn't stand not knowing if he was even alive, he could be dead already.

She dressed quickly, and then, though she hated doing it, pulled Teddy out of bed, and apparated into her mother's front yard.

Teddy started to cry. Apparation wasn't good for him- but how else would she get here fast enough?

Her mother knew what was going on as soon as she opened the door.

"You cant go, Dora!"

"Mum, please, I have to! I cant... I cant just let him die, and not try and help. I cant. And I'm sorry, but I will try my best to come back. I cant just sit at home and wait to find out if he's dead or not."

Andromeda sighed. "You expect me to, though."

"You know I'm not like you, Mum. I'm not patient. I just cant. Please. Please take him."

Andromeda didn't say anything, but took her son from her arms.

"I love you, Mum."

Her mother nodded, pulling her in for a one armed hug. "I love you too."

It wasn't long before she was clambering out of the tunnel from the hogs head and into the room of requirement. To her disappointment, most everyone seemed to have moved out. Of the few people remaining, Remus was not one of them.

Harry was though, and he seemed baffled to see her.

"Tonks- I thought you were with Teddy-"

"I couldn't stand not knowing-" she choked on her words. "Where's Remus?"

"He was going to lead a party into the grounds-"

Without another word, she ran off.

The castle was huge, it was under siege, there was rubble flying everywhere- she highly doubted she could find him. The grounds could only be worse.

There were death eaters everywhere. Snatcher's too- anyone willing to fight for Voldemort. She had somehow managed to end up in the thick of everything, and was having to use all her knowledge and auror training to keep moving.

"DORA!"

Her head snapped up. He wasn't outside after all.

He was on a balcony above, and looked absolutely furious to see her. Stunning a death eater blocking the stairs, she ran for him. He was pushing his way through the crowd of students and snatchers to meet her.

"You were supposed to stay home!" he called over their heads.

"I know, but I couldn't, I just couldn't-"

She was so close... and that was when she heard it. Shattering glass. Looking to her left, she saw the windows shatter as trails of black smoke smashed through them, two heading straight in her direction.

They weren't smoke, of course. They were death eaters.

Desperately, she looked at Remus, who had found his way through to her.

He knew what was coming too.

She reached out for him. They would go out together, if this was how it was going to end. Their fingers were millimetres away...

She felt his warm, rough fingers touch her own as her ears were filled with a loud rushing sound, and she knew it was coming, and then she felt it hit her chest and knock her off her feet.

As everything went black, the warm touch of his fingers on hers was ripped away, and she was left alone.


End file.
